by KM Fortune
Across the doors from Blaze, Hector, Willow, and Matthew waited. They were armed and ready as well and looked just as anxious as Blaze felt. Where is that signal? Blaze thought, his patience wearing thin. Any second now, someone’s going to realize we are out here and shoot at us. Getting shot at was not part of the plan. Gritting his teeth as he tried to stay calm, Blaze had to agree what Willow proposed was clever. It hinged on getting to the roof, which at first seemed impossible, or at least until Raven showed up with a skinny, sick looking man. Seeing him in the room surrounded by the others, all that ran through Blaze's mind was the thought they did not have time to take in prisoners. It turned out the man was anything but a prisoner. The stranger, with green eyes so intense they seemed to bore right through Blaze, was named Maximillian and he was the leader of the slaves from the pit. He had come because he did not believe The Duke was no longer in power and needed to see for himself before he would risk setting his people free.
"Well, we're working on in it," Hector had said.
"Just a matter of time," Blaze had added. "We have a few details to iron out, but he'll be swinging from a rope by the end of the day. I promise you that." Maximillian had smiled at that statement.
"How can I help?" he had asked. Blaze had looked the emaciated guy in ankle shackles up and down and almost laughed.
"I think we'll be fine," he had answered and started to turn away to continue discussing the problem with the others. Willow continued to look at the man.
"We need to get on the roof," she had said. "Don't suppose you have any ideas how we could pull that off?"
"Without getting shot, preferably," Hector had added. Maximillian scratched the scraggly beard on his chin thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded.
"I'd avoid the stairs," he said and Blaze shook his head, frustrated they were wasting their time talking to the stranger, but then the man continued. "The best bet is the ladder in the elevator shaft." Everyone in the room had turned to look at Maximillian then. Blaze was speechless. Elevator shaft? he thought. "But I'd shut down the power first," the man added.
The rest of the plan had fallen into place. Shutting down the power to the building, which Maximillian, with Kaleb's help, said he could do easily. Turned out the leader of the slaves used to be The Duke's engineer and had even set up the city's power supply grid. Without going into detail, Maximillian said he was exiled when he tried to destroy his creation after he saw what it was doing to people. None of that mattered to Blaze. What he wanted was action and so now he waited, sweating under his armor until the signal to storm the lobby sounded. As if willing it to happen, the sound of a car horn started blaring. "Now," Blaze yelled and charged forward into the lobby. Shots rang out immediately from behind the hotel's giant reception desk and Blaze instinctively turned to fire back. As he pulled the trigger, he heard a half dozen other rifles do the same. The wooden structure The Duke's men were hiding behind was reduced to splinters in a minute. "Stop shooting!" Blaze yelled over the noise.
Gun smoke filled the air and the sound of brass shells rolling on the marble floor was the only sound. "I think we got them," Toby said.
"You think?" Hector said before Brody could comment. He looked around at the others. "Okay people, we need to have a little more discipline. Let's clear the room." Everyone nodded and started to spread out. "And for crying out loud, don't shoot me in the back."
SAMUEL COULD NOT BE found. The Creator tried to keep calm as the messenger delivered the news. His heart had not been the same since he ate the poisoned cookie crumbs and his medical advisors insisted he stay relaxed. It was proving to be difficult. Hannah was in a coma, and stable, according to the same medical advisors, The Creator still wanted answers. After the remaining bits of cookie were examined, the science corps announced they were tainted with poison. This news started a chain reaction of information coming forward. A junior brother reluctantly spoke up after word was spread of the findings. His report was so alarming, the brethren insisted he speak directly to The Creator, so he was hauled there and stood shaking as he repeated what he saw in the garden. "Are you sure it was Samuel?" The Creator asked. The man nodded. "Speak," The Creator hissed. "I cannot be mistaken." Truly upset now, the messenger dropped to his knees and bowed.
"Yes, Lord," he said. "It was him."
"Cutting from the foxglove flowers?" The Creator clarified. The man nodded and then caught himself and cleared his throat.
"Yes, Lord," he said.
This interchange could not be kept secret and it raced through the colony. Soon, two brothers from the colony's kitchen came forward. They too had information about Samuel. "He ordered us out of the room," they both confirmed. "And then baked something. It could have been tea cookies." The news was crushing. The Creator knew he and Samuel did not see eye-to-eye about Hannah, but never would he have suspected the man would resort to poison. Never, The Creator thought. Now another messenger had arrived, with another unpleasant announcement. Samuel’s cold weather gear and some supplies were missing. It did not take much of a leap to figure out what had happened. The Creator continued to steady his breathing. Violence of any kind between the brethren was forbidden. It was true, the girl child was not one of them and perhaps rules were different for her, but the idea Samuel tried to kill her made The Creator feel ill. Somehow the devil has worked his way into Samuel’s soul.
“I want him found,” The Creator said. “Scour the mountains, and even the plains below if need be, but I want him captured and returned to Eden.”
“Yes, Lord,” the messenger replied with a bow. “Your will shall be done.” The Creator said nothing while the man backed out of the room and left. Once he was alone again, The Creator let out a long sigh of anguish. If anything happens ... if Hannah does not awaken ... The Creator made a fist with his frail, skeletal hand and brought it down with a thump on the arm of his wheelchair.
“I will make Samuel suffer in ways the colony has never imagined,” The Creator said and wheeled over to the large open book on a table overlooking the Gathering Chamber. It was the tome The Creator took all his sermons from, the one once called The Bible. He had read it so many times it was almost memorized and he knew it was filled with the eternal promise of salvation. But that is not all it contains, he thought starting to flip to the front of the text. He also knew inside the frail pages were words of vengeance and how to punish those who had sinned. Those were what he was looking for now.
CHAPTER 9
The lobby was clear and only two of The Duke’s men were found, both dead, behind the demolished reception desk. “Wave in the second group. Time for the distraction,” Hector said and Brody jogged out of the room to fetch the leader of the cat mutant team. Satisfied things were moving along according to plan, Hector turned to Matthew. “Now where are the elevators,” he continued.
“Here,” Matthew said as he led the way. There were three sets of doors to choose from so Hector went for the center. “Normally you push the button here.” Matthew pointed. “But since Maximillian and Kaleb have cut the power, I’m not sure how to get the two doors to slide apart.” Hector examined the scratched and faded gold-colored doors for a moment, and then set his weapon aside against the wall. Flexing his arms and shoulders, he stepped up.
“Best stand back, boys,” he said and flicked out his claws. Cramming them into the narrow seam between the doors, he grunted at the resistance, but would not be deterred. Especially with everybody watching, he thought. Finding purchase at last, he pushed and the two doors slid easily. Behind them was an open shaft of concrete and cabling.
"Perfect," Willow said from beside him. He watched the woman lean in and look up. She whistled. "A bit of a climb." Hector looked at her.
"Problem with heights?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Not sure. Never climbed anything like this. Have you?" she asked. Before he could answer, the sound of the backup team came from the front doors.
"Cat mutants are here," Toby called out with a grin. Hector felt l
ike grinning himself. It was about time to make a lot of noise. He walked to the center of the lobby and looked around at everyone. "We all know the plan?" he asked. Both groups nodded. "Good. Toby, Brody, take your group and hit the stairwell. Give us ten minutes before you start climbing. Nice and slow and make a lot of noise, including using two of those grenades."
"Right," Toby confirmed. "Just make sure we don't get shot."
"Especially that part," Brody added.
Hector nodded and looked at Blaze. "Well, Hero," he said. "Ready to lead us up that ladder in the elevator?" He saw Blaze flush a little and grit his teeth at the barb.
"Can't wait," he said. "You about done giving orders?"
"Sure thing," Hector said and stepped aside. "After you." Blaze moved out and Matthew and Willow followed. Hector took up the rear. When they reached the elevators again, Blaze slung his rifle over his head and hung it across his body to keep his hands free. It nestled against the bandolier of grenades he wore. Hector was impressed when the guy stepped boldly into the shaft and walked straight to the narrow ladder. He looked up once and then started to climb. Matthew followed but paused at the base.
"I sure hope they don't know we are coming," Matthew muttered and then puffed in and out three quick breaths to get his courage up. Hector was about to tell him to move it, but then Matthew started and quickly caught up to Blaze. Willow turned to look at Hector. She raised an eyebrow.
"Well?" she asked. Hector gave a little bow.
"Ladies first," he said and Willow smirked at his sarcasm as she moved to the ladder.
She slung her rifle like the others and then started up. Hector walked forward and finally looked up himself. The shaft was so high he could not see the top. A knot formed in his stomach as he considered what he was about to do. He twisted his neck from side-to-side until it popped and then he grabbed the rungs. Just don’t look down, he thought and started to climb after the others.
ALTHOUGH HIS ARMS WERE shaking and he was dripping with sweat by the time he reached the top of the metal ladder, Matthew made it and breathed deeply once his feet were on the roof of The Duke’s casino hotel. Behind him arrived Willow and then Hector. Both looked as winded as he felt and, as they stood beside Blaze in the small rooftop machine room, nobody spoke for a full minute while they unslung their rifles. It was almost pitch-black inside, with only a few hints of light coming in around the door, but Matthew could see grim looks on everyone’s faces.
“We can’t know if anyone is out guarding the roof,” Willow whispered. “So when we bust through that door, we need to be ready for action.” Matthew saw the faint outline of Blaze nodding.
“I’m hoping not to have to shoot though,” Blaze said. “I don’t want The Duke to realize we are up here until it is too late.”
“Let’s just hope he bought our diversion on the stairs. It sounded like Toby and Brody were having quite the party,” Hector inserted.
“Damn straight,” Blaze said and Matthew heard him start to unclick the grenades from his chest. He handed one to Matthew. “You know which way you’re going?” Blaze asked. Matthew felt the weight of the small, but destructive device in his hand. He was well aware of the plan and had even been the one to explain how to use the grenades precisely, having learned it while in the Patrols, but now he felt some hesitation. What if our plan doesn’t work? he thought. Then we will have lost any chance at surprise.
“Hey, you awake?” Hector asked Matthew, who realized he had not answered Blaze and was instead lost in thought.
“Oh, yes, sorry,” Matthew said. “I know the plan.” Blaze did not comment and instead handed out the other grenades. When he was done, Matthew felt more than saw Hector slide up to the room’s door. He was poised to slam his shoulder into it and bust through. Matthew frowned.
“Did you check and see if it was unlocked?” Matthew asked. He saw Hector glance over his shoulder at him.
“You’re kidding, right?” Hector whispered. “Of course it’s—" Willow reached out and slowly turned the door’s handle. It moved and the door shifted open slightly.
“Let’s use our heads, gentlemen,” she said. “We only have five seconds to get this right.” Matthew heard everyone take a breath. “On three. One ... Two ...” Matthew readied himself. His target was the farthest corner to the left. Hector was on the right. Willow was closest to the door and Blaze was going dead center. Everyone was to make eye contact and then do it in sequence. To make sure I don’t get killed, Matthew thought knowing he was going the furthest. "Three," Willow said and she burst through the door with rifle ready. The others raced out after her, all in a crouch, all ready for anything.
The rooftop was empty. No one was there. Matthew saw Blaze pump his fist with excitement. They were going to do this undetected. It would catch The Duke and his men ultimately by surprise. Matthew did not hesitate and pumped his legs hard as he sprinted to the left. Sliding into position, he looked back and saw everyone was ready. Not able to keep from grinning in his excitement to see if the idea would work, Matthew pulled the pin on the grenade as he set it on the rooftop and started his sprint back. As he ran, he saw Hector had done the same. As the two of them closed in on Blaze and then Willow, the two pulled their pins and left the grenades to rest. The four of them slammed through the entrance into the machine room and yanked the door closed.
For a second, nothing happened. Matthew felt his heart start to sink. They were duds. Too old and now— his thought was cut off by the sound of multiple explosions going off in unison. The sound was deafening, even in the shelter, the whole roof shook. Please let this spot over the elevator shaft hold!
He braced himself against the wall just in case, but nothing else happened. In fact, it was suddenly quiet. Blaze threw open the door and daylight streamed back in. Matthew looked past him to see the roof had taken on a lot of damage, but still held over where the penthouse had to be. “You have got to be kidding me!” Hector roared. Matthew started to stammer an explanation. He was so sure it would be enough and the others turned to look at him. It was clear they were waiting for him to say something.
Suddenly, slowly, a cracking noise started. Eager to watch, Matthew pushed past the rest and stood at the edge of the doorway. He could see fissures starting to spread from the different shallow craters. It’s happening, Matthew thought elated. As the others came out to watch with him, the roof continued to crack and sag. There was the sound of yelling coming up from below now and Matthew worried for a second The Duke and his men would be able to evacuate before it fell all the way, and then it was too late. The cement let go and in a whoosh of dust and debris, the roof collapsed into the penthouse below.
CHAPTER 10
Samuel was settled in for the evening when he heard men's voices rising up from the treeline below. They bounced through the thin nylon walls of his survival tent and he froze to listen. "Well this fresh snow isn't helping," a man muttered. "Covered his tracks and now he could be anywhere up here."
"Quit complaining for five minutes, will you?" a second man answered. "He's a historian for crying out loud. How hard can it be to find one old guy?" Samuel caught his breath. Apparently, they were talking about him and now his worst fears were confirmed. He was being searched for by the Patrols. Has The Creator figured out what I did and is angry? Samuel wondered as his heart raced. Or did the girl finally die and now I’m a hero? Surely it was the latter. Samuel started to crawl to the tent's door and reached for the zipper. He was happy to be done with his adventure in the forest. Although he occasionally went on expeditions to lend a historical perspective when certain types of immovable artifacts were found, Samuel always hated it. The cold, the rough conditions, and the lack of the creature comforts he was accustomed to, made the trips unpleasant at best. This overnight escape had been no different. Worse in fact as he had no underlings to set up his camp and cook his food.
Sighing with relief it was done, Samuel grabbed the zipper to pull when he heard the men speaking again. "Yeah, we w
ill find him," the first man agreed with the second. "The Creator wills it, but if what I've heard is true, Brother Samuel will wish we hadn't."
"No kidding," the second man said with a sharp laugh. "There's never been a public termination, but if Brother Samuel really did poison the Divine Child, this might be the start." Samuel's breath caught in his throat. A whirl of thoughts raced through his mind. Public terminations? The divine child? Knowing his plight now, Samuel did not move a muscle as he strained his ears to listen.
Are they coming this way or walking through the trees back to the colony? he wondered. There was no way to know for sure but to wait. And pray? Somehow doing that now felt wrong. The Creator was his Maker and the One who held his soul in his hands. Now He was angry. What if he heard me even from out here? Would he send soldiers straight to me? No, praying was out of the question. Samuel knew he was on his own for the moment, at least until he could figure out his next move. Assuming the soldiers walking through the trees did not stop and find him first.
After a grueling ten minutes of not hearing anything else, Samuel unzipped the tent and stuck his head out. No one was there and daylight was fading from the trees. Soon it would be too dark to see anything. He relaxed a little, knowing he was safe for now. But what about in the morning? he thought. Eventually, they would find him. I have to move further away from the colony. For now anyway. Then an idea came to him. He would go to an emergency outpost bunker. As a scholar, he had read about their locations and believed he could find one without too much trouble. It would be a much longer hike than he planned, but if he left before dawn, and worked hard to get there, he could be safely hidden with plenty of supplies by nightfall tomorrow.